Survival 101

HE BLOGGED: Who is ready for the Apocalypse, World War III, the rise of the Zombie Nation, or simply the next natural disaster? Do you need to be an avid outdoorsman, survival specialist, or a marine? Negative!!! If you have cable TV and are able to wrestle the remote control from your spouse, girlfriend or roommate, salvation is merely watching the numerous survival shows playing on Discovery Channel. Top of the hardcore list is Man vs Wild, the name says it all. Bear Grylls show the average joe how it is done, hurling himself into the worst situations and demonstrating that starvation is not an issue if you can tolerate the taste and texture. Not far behind is Les Stroud’s Survivor Man and his new series Beyond Survival, kudos to Les who ventures off on his own absentia of camera crew. Les hauls in his own gear and films himself, now imagine trying to survive in a harsh environment and do a documentary solo. For the bosom buddies or odd couple, there is Dual Survival, matching up Cody Lundin, whom I’ve dubbed the white aborigine for his minimalist perspective and bare feet, with Dave Canterbury, who is the cross between the swamp thing and a red neck. They provide a good contrast of different view points on survival. The main take away from this show is trudging around barefoot… not such a good idea. For those who want their spouse to partake of this educational adventure, Man Woman Wild will give her a glimpse into what may save her life one day or at least the comfort that her husband will.

It truly is amazing how these shows have taken off and have their own cult following. In a world characterized by Iphones and Garmin gps devices , who thinks of getting lost anymore or in need of survival? Yet every year there are tourist, avid hikers and campers who become lost and need rescue. It is sometimes the little things that gives hope and carries a person that extra day or hour and makes the difference between survival and becoming another statistic. I have always been fascinated by the ingenuity of man and survival shows are a testament to that ingenuity. What does it take to make a fire in the absence of matches or a lighter? Can you do it? Just watch one episode and you will walk away knowing at least one way how to make fire. Hey if anything it is pretty bad ass to be able to take a stick, a piece of string, some dried wood and a little bit of elbow grease to create the hot embers of a future fire.

From another perspective, survival shows present to the audience how some of the people in the world survive today. They aren’t ordering dinner through a drive through or nuking it in the microwave; they are doing it the old school way: hunting, gathering and farming. It is not glamorous, but who really cares; its survival right? Who would have thought if you are dying of thirst in the desert of Africa that water can be squeezed from the dung of elephants. You may end up throwing up more fluids than you consume, but if you are able to keep it down, those few mouthfuls of water will keep you going for what could be just enough time till you find an adequate water source. People all over the world have adapted and continue to adapt to the changes the environment presents to them. These hosts who take us on their journeys give us a glimpse of how some of those people are surviving day by day.